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ProfRob
ProfRob
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If we are dealing with a two body system and point particles, the the eccentricity is a constant of the orbit and doesn't change.

In practice, there are other bodies in the Solar System exerting forces and bodies are of finite size leading to tidal dissipation. Both interactions with other bodies, and tidal forces, increase towards perihelion. On average, this extracts more energy from the orbit nearer perihelion, which means the object does not reach as large an aphelion and thus reduces the eccentricity.

This is not the reason that planetary orbits are close to circular. See https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/58936/2531

If we are dealing with a two body system and point particles, the the eccentricity is a constant of the orbit.

In practice, there are other bodies in the Solar System and bodies are of finite size. Both interactions with other bodies and tidal forces increase towards perihelion. On average, this extracts energy from the orbit nearer perihelion, which means the object does not reach as large an aphelion and thus reduces the eccentricity.

This is not the reason that planetary orbits are close to circular. See https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/58936/2531

If we are dealing with a two body system and point particles, the eccentricity is a constant of the orbit and doesn't change.

In practice, there are other bodies in the Solar System exerting forces and bodies are of finite size leading to tidal dissipation. Both interactions with other bodies, and tidal forces, increase towards perihelion. On average, this extracts more energy from the orbit nearer perihelion, which means the object does not reach as large an aphelion and thus reduces the eccentricity.

This is not the reason that planetary orbits are close to circular. See https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/58936/2531

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ProfRob
ProfRob
  • 162.7k
  • 10
  • 389
  • 615

If we are dealing with a two body system and point particles, the the eccentricity is a constant of the orbit.

In practice, there are other bodies in the Solar System and bodies are of finite size. Both interactions with other bodies and tidal forces increase towards perihelion. On average, this extracts energy from the orbit nearer perihelion, which means the object does not reach as large an aphelion and thus reduces the eccentricity.

This is not the reason that planetary orbits are close to circular. See https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/58936/2531

If we are dealing with a two body system and point particles, the the eccentricity is a constant of the orbit.

In practice, there are other bodies in the Solar System and bodies are of finite size. Both interactions with other bodies and tidal forces increase towards perihelion. On average, this extracts energy from the orbit nearer perihelion, which means the object does not reach as large an aphelion and thus reduces the eccentricity.

This is not the reason that planetary orbits are close to circular.

If we are dealing with a two body system and point particles, the the eccentricity is a constant of the orbit.

In practice, there are other bodies in the Solar System and bodies are of finite size. Both interactions with other bodies and tidal forces increase towards perihelion. On average, this extracts energy from the orbit nearer perihelion, which means the object does not reach as large an aphelion and thus reduces the eccentricity.

This is not the reason that planetary orbits are close to circular. See https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/58936/2531

Source Link
ProfRob
ProfRob
  • 162.7k
  • 10
  • 389
  • 615

If we are dealing with a two body system and point particles, the the eccentricity is a constant of the orbit.

In practice, there are other bodies in the Solar System and bodies are of finite size. Both interactions with other bodies and tidal forces increase towards perihelion. On average, this extracts energy from the orbit nearer perihelion, which means the object does not reach as large an aphelion and thus reduces the eccentricity.

This is not the reason that planetary orbits are close to circular.